Intensive English Language Program

Full-time

This program meets the full-time study requirement for F-1 visa students who wish to improve their English for jobs at home or for academic study in the United States. Even if you do not have an F-1 student visa, you are welcome to contact an advisor at wal@cityu.edu about admission to this program.

The length of your study depends on several factors: your entry placement, your future plans, and the length of time you can stay in the United States. Students are required to attend the entire five-week session. Please note each level requires two sessions (10 weeks) to complete.

Part-time

The part-time Reading & Writing or Listening & SpeakingProgram helps you improve specific English skills for business, education or travel. Students can choose either the Reading & Writing class or the Listening & Speaking class. F-1 visa students are not permitted to study part-time unless they have received prior approval from their advisor.

How to Apply

Requirement: You must be at least 18 years old by the time you start orientation.

Please submit the following items to apply:
1. Application Form
2. Credit Card Authorization Form to pay application fee ($50)
3. Copy of your passport ID page or US Permanent Resident Card
4. For F-1 visa students, copy of your bank statement that shows the amount you have in the bank, the address of the bank, and a signature from someone at the bank. Bank statement should show at least $3,839 for each session that the student wants to study.Transfer students must submit the following additional documents:1. Copy of each I-20 that you have received
2. Copy of your F-1 Student Visa
3. Electronic I-94 from https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov
4. Transfer Evaluation Form-You should complete Section A and then give the form to your current advisor to complete Section B. Have your advisor email the completed form to wal@cityu.edu.

Daily Schedule

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

9am-11am

Levels 5-8
Reading/Writing

Levels 5-8
Reading/Writing

Levels 5-8
Reading/Writing

Levels 5-8
Reading/Writing

Levels 5-8
Reading/Writing

11am-1pm

Levels 5-8
Listening/Speaking

Levels 5-8
Listening/Speaking

Levels 5-8
Listening/Speaking

Levels 5-8
Listening/Speaking

Levels 5-8
Listening/Speaking

1pm-3pm

Levels Novice-4
Reading /Writing

Levels Novice-4
Reading/Writing

Levels Novice-4
Reading/Writing

Levels Novice-4
Reading/Writing

Levels Novice-4
Reading/Writing

3pm-5pm

Levels Novice-4
Listening/Speaking

Levels Novice-4
Listening/Speaking

Levels Novice-4
Listening/Speaking

Levels Novice-4
Listening/Speaking

Levels Novice-4
Listening/Speaking

New Student Orientation

New Student Orientation takes place during the week before classes begin and is your introduction to our institution and the English Language Program in which you will study. You will setup your new CityU email account, meet the WAL staff, and learn of the classroom and institutional policies. This includes attendance rules, grading policies, and what to do (and not do) to maintain your F-1 student status. Here is how Orientation Week goes:

Day 1: Orientation Meeting – You will attend the initial meeting during which you will learn about the university’s policies, maintaining your student status, and strategies for classroom success. You will also created your CityU email address, learn about student activities, and pay the English placement test fee.

Day 2: English Placement Testing – We offer the iTEP test to find out which of our 8 levels will be the best fit for you. You are welcome to take the iTEP elsewhere and submit your scores prior to the start of your class, but we charge only $70 for our CityU iTEP test.

Day 3: You will meet with your advisor to find out your test score and which level in our program you placed into. You will also be given instructions on when and where to report for class. Tuition payment for the session is also to be made at this time.

Days 4/5: No activities are planned for these days. You are free to explore the city!

Course Descriptions

Please click on the level for more information.

Level 0: Novice

Novice is a basic introductory course to English. This course is especially designed for students who come from a primary language background that uses a non-Roman alphabet. It offers literacy training to students who are unfamiliar with the basic letter sounds of English. Students participate in a variety of situational activities to reinforce all four language skills. Instruction focuses on the development of receptive skills before productive skills and incorporates cooperative learning. This course is repeatable.

Level 1: Beginner

Beginner A/B Reading & Writing is a basic course in English writing and grammar for non-native speakers of English. It stresses basic writing skills such as types of sentences and proper use of simple grammar structures, basic connectors, and descriptive vocabulary. Students will be reading for pleasure and academic purposes. Basic reading strategies will be introduced with a strong emphasis on vocabulary development. The major verb tenses (present simple, present continuous, simple past) are introduced.

Beginner A/B Listening & Speaking is a basic course in English listening and speaking for non-native speakers of English. It stresses basic communication skills and listening strategies to improve fluency. Themes will challenge and engage students through authentic reading and listening selections. Students will practice speaking for everyday use and academic purposes. Basic grammar will be practiced in given situations to improve oral accuracy. The major verb tenses (present simple, present continuous, simple past) are introduced.

Level 2: Elementary

Elementary A/B Reading & Writing is a 2 part beginning course in English composition and grammar for non-native speakers of English. It stresses basic writing skills such as types of sentences and proper use of grammar structures, basic connectors, and combined sentences. The major verb tenses (present simple, present continuous, simple past) are introduced. Emphasis on vocabulary and grammatical structures such as: interrogatives, nouns and pronoun use, adjectives, and adverbs are all introduced.

Elementary A/B Listening & Speaking is a 2 part conversation-based beginning speaking and listening skills course for non-native speakers of English. Students participate in a variety of situational activities to reinforce their understanding of simple tenses, develop basic vocabulary, and master a variety of functions become accustomed to basic interaction with native English speakers.

Level 3: Intermediate

Intermediate A/B Reading & Writing is a lower intermediate course for increasing reading and writing skills through vocabulary development and grammar practice. Students will refine the skills of pre-reading, scanning, skimming, guessing new vocabulary from context, making inferences, summarizing, and by identifying main ideas and patterns of organization. As students progress, students reach a strong intermediate level in reading and writing skills. The course provides practice activities to improve vocabulary, speed, comprehension, and using a monolingual dictionary selectively. Students read passages with a variety of topics, sources, and purposes, including reading for pleasure. Students at this level will focus on elements of several types of paragraphs and will perfect the use of transitions. As a final writing assignment, students will be expected to write a cohesive 3-paragraph essay.

Intermediate A/B Listening & Speaking is a conversation-based course for lower-intermediate ESL students that enables them to further develop listening comprehension and speaking skills through the study of American English. This course provides students with the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics such as societal change, crime, and the modern media. Once students gain more confidence and fluency, discussions and presentations are designed to increase the students’ familiarity with the major structures of English while exposing them to American cultural and societal trends. Listening, note taking, and public speaking are emphasized.

Level 4: High Intermediate

High Intermediate A/B Reading & Writing focuses on strengthening reading and writing skills through vocabulary development and grammar practice. Practice activities are provided to improve vocabulary, speed, comprehension, and using a monolingual dictionary selectively. Students read passages that cover a variety of topics, sources, and purposes, including reading for pleasure. Students at this level will focus on elements of several types of paragraphs and will begin writing 3-4 paragraph essays. As a final writing assignment, students will be expected to write a cohesive 4-paragraph essay.

High Intermediate A/B Listening & Speaking is conversation-based for higher-intermediate ESL students, which enables them to further develop listening comprehension and speaking skills through the study of American English. This course provides students with the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics such as science, technology and trends in society. Once students gain more confidence and fluency, discussions and presentations are designed to increase the students’ familiarity with the major structures of English, while exposing them to American culture and society.

Level 5: College Preparation I

College Preparation I Reading & Writing is designed to help high-intermediate learners of English fine-tune advanced grammar skills and prepare them for reading and writing assignments in an academic program. Emphasis is placed on writing structured paragraphs, summaries, and essays, as well as developing critical thinking, problem-solving and persuasion skills. Students learn to research topics, work with sources, paraphrase, quote and cite, and are introduced to APA documentation guidelines.

College Preparation I Listening & Speaking is designed to help high-intermediate learners of English improve listening and speaking skills in preparation for an academic program. Students expand their vocabulary and practice expressing their opinions clearly and coherently. Emphasis is placed on working with sources, researching topics, identifying the speaker’s tone and attitude, inferring information and communicating ideas/facts derived from these skills effectively to others. Students will also create oral presentations and participate in class discussions. Other areas of learning include pronunciation practice, listening to lectures, and note-taking skills.

Level 6: College Preparation II

College Preparation II Reading & Writing is designed to help advanced learners of English master grammar and refine the academic writing, research, and critical thinking skills needed for success in an academic program. Emphasis is placed on writing accurate summaries, composing effective short answer responses, write a case study and a research paper. Topics include presenting evidence for a clearly developed claim, evaluating and selecting sources, and documenting sources following APA conventions.

College Preparation II Listening & Speaking is designed to help advanced learners of English improve reading and speaking skills in preparation for an academic program with a business focus. Students increase reading speed and comprehension, expand academic business vocabulary, and practice presenting their opinions and findings from research clearly and coherently. Emphasis is placed on working with academic and professional sources, researching topics, inferring meaning, examining texts on different levels, making presentations, and participating in class discussions. Other topics include pronunciation practice, listening to lectures, and note-taking skills.

Level 7: Advanced I

Advanced I Readings & Composition is designed to introduce advanced learners of English to formal essay writing and to the analysis of contemporary and classical literature. Emphasis will be placed on writing accurate summaries and effective responses to the in-class readings. Writing assignments will focus on major strategies of fiction prose with subject matter drawn from first-hand experience, observation, print and online research sources.

Advanced I Communications focuses on improving the language skills students need in real life situations. Students will enhance their listening by taking notes, restating, finding main ideas, and summarizing information. Students will also be expected to produce a range of spoken texts; conversations, discussions, formal and informal speeches. This course will focus on building vocabulary and exposing students to American idioms and common expressions. Grammar points will be taught as an integral part of listening and speaking.

Level 8: Advanced II

Advanced II Readings & Composition is designed to introduce advanced learners of English to academic essay writing based on reading fiction, poetry and scholarship about literature. Emphasis is placed on production of academic argumentative essays and on acquisition of appropriate reading skills. Reading and writing assignments are sequenced towards two main papers per session that are graded in a final portfolio and include a range of specific genres, contexts, and disciplinary inquiry. This course prepares students by offering them the necessary academic skills to succeed in an academic program without English language support.

Advanced II Communications is for improving the language skills of advanced English learners through the medium of television and film. Students enhance their learning skills by becoming familiar with and analyzing typical American idioms, expressions and speech styles common in the media. By the end of the course, students are expected to recognize differences in speech patterns and styles in films and television shows from different decades and be able to compare and contrast these styles articulately. Students should also be able to analyze characters and describe how each one’s language use and speech style is essential to the character’s development.